Runiverse Campfire Stories
Gather one gather all around the campfire, for an entire month of magical storytelling. In the spirit of encouraging creators and storytellers to weave their talents into the Forgotten Runiverse, we’re holding a contest this month! We’ll be collecting tales from the cult, creating art inspired by those stories, and giving everyone a chance to win Forgotten Runes merch!
Come join us as we share short stories and poems – from the horrific tales of Necromancers summoning flesh eating zombies to the heroic songs of Champions slaying ghouls. From now until Oct. 31st at 11:59 PM EST we will be accepting writing submissions directly in our Discord.
In the spirit of keeping true to our goal to reward creators, prizes will be available for all! Every participant will be receiving a special commemorative POAP NFT for any submitted pieces, and be entered into a drawing on Nov. 1st to win a Forgotten Runes swag bag including a shirt, comic, and hoodie!
In addition, we will be hand selecting three stories to be illustrated by Cult Creators. We’ve included multiple prize pools so everyone has opportunities to win something, even if you’re just participating.
RULES
- Submissions must be related to Forgotten Runes
- Entrants are allowed more than one submission, but only one entry will be counted towards prize pools
- Although there is no minimum character requirement, suspicious spam-like entries will be disqualified (ie. “The kobold died of fright. The End.”)
- Submissions must be posted in our official Discord in the #Campfire-Stories channel
- Submissions must be entered by Oct. 31st at 11:59 PM EST
- Have fun! Be creative!
“But I’m not a writer!” wailed the lost and afraid. Fear not, we’ll be co-hosting writing workshops with Meepledad to help spark that creative Sacred Flame! We want this contest to be open to everyone, so if you’re not naturally inclined to writing, join a workshop and get your entry finished in a single hour with the company of the cult.
Join us every Thursday this month, starting Oct. 6th via Twitter Spaces (@RuniverseGame). Keep an eye out on our Twitter and Discord for details on the exact times. We’ll have special guests adept in writing horror, occult enthusiasts, Forgotten Souls lore readings, and even live readings of entries submitted throughout the month!
Need some help getting started? Here’s a spine tingly sneak peeks of what The Forgotten Runiverse has in store for you:
Need more inspiration? Don’t forget to check out the Forgotten Runes Book of Lore and World Map! If you need an example, we’ve prepared this sample story for your delight.
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The Final Quest
I thought it was bad enough being chased by wolves as I made my way through The Thorn, but as I made my way past the decaying trees into a dreary courtyard filled with intimidatingly large statues of devils, surrounded by tombstones, I realized that this quest would not be as easy as I had hoped. I hesitated to move further in, but the chilling howl of the wolves I had just escaped from echoed from somewhere within the thicket of trees behind me. I knew that they’d catch onto my scent once again if I stopped moving, so I had no choice but to keep going forward.
My boots sunk deep into the damp soil with each step I made, unearthing the faint fragrance of decay that lay below. Surely this area had not been one many dared to explore. Regardless, I promised the guards at Goblin Town that I’d return with a Ghost Orb. They said I may be able to find it held by creatures deep within the Vampyre Myst… I pulled out my map to ensure I was in the right place. This had to be it – and the large castle ahead of me is the first place I should visit if I’m looking for a valuable treasure.
I walked up the stone staircase, past the statues of winged devils, to the glowing red laser gate. How am I going to get past this? As I pondered, I suddenly felt a tug on my ankle. I looked below to see…a hand? A green, decaying, wretched smelling hand. It protruded from the moist soil below and dug its filthy claws into my skin.
“A zombie?! “
The moment I realized what it was, I immediately pulled out my staff and cast my spell.
“ICE SPEAR!”
Aiming directly at its wrist, I shot a small shard of ice. Either the flesh was incredibly weak, or the ice was extremely sharp – because the spell managed to sever the hand completely off, leaving only an arm popping up from the ground. I jumped away and stared in disbelief as its other arm crawled up from beneath the soil and hoisted the rest of its body up. His face, actively being devoured by worms and maggots, revealed patches of skull underneath. This is serious, I don’t care how much gold those Goblins promised me for this item, I’m getting out of here!
I quickly turned around and tried to make a run for it back into The Thorn. If I had to choose between a zombie or a pack of wolves, I think I’ll take my chances with the mutts! At least I could distract them with the dragon jerky in my bag. But as soon as I began my sprint, I fell…no, that’s not quite right, I didn’t just trip. I was pulled down. I looked back at my ankle, another hand had emerged from the putrid soil below and grabbed onto me. Before I noticed, so too were my arms being embraced by the undead slowly revealing awakening from their underground slumber. I pulled away with all my strength, regained my composure and got back on my feet. I wove my staff up in the air and in a panic uttered my next spell.
“ICE BRIDGE!”
It would take a lot out of me to do this, but I can worry about that later! I aimed my staff down at the ground and pointed a pathway back into The Thorn. Frost gradually formed on top of it, piling up until eventually a path of solid ice was made. This should stop them from coming up and buy me enough time! I quickly slid across the ice, ignoring the hungering moans behind me just dying for a single bite. I won’t dare look back, I need to leave here NOW!
I successfully slid back into the forest…the worst is behind me. I needed a moment to catch my breath, so leaned against a decaying tree. I sighed in relief – I was a fool to have taken this quest in the first place but at least now I’ll live to see another day. With that thought in mind, my tired legs gave in and I slowly slumped down the tree trunk to sit on the ground. I’m so tired. I’m so hungry. I need to head back to town and reward myself with a large feast after this. As I thought that, my stomach growled…my mouth salivated. Something warm was dripping down my arm, onto my pants leg. As the adrenaline from the encounter wore off, I recognized an intense burning sensation emitting from my forearm. A shiver ran down my spine…I think I know why I’m so hungry now…I prepared myself for the worst as I slowly rolled my sleeve up. There they were, clear as day…
Bite marks. I wasn’t just hungry for anything – I had the desire…for brains…
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Your stores don’t have to be as long as this one, even short poems are more than welcome! Whether you’re already an avid writer of Lovecraftian horror or just dipping your toes into creative writing, we here at The Forgotten Runiverse want to empower your lore!